I have just purchased a Nexus 7 (2013) and it auto updated to android to 4.3 as I was setting up. Unfortunately USB OTG now does not run. I purchased the Nexus 7 for it's OTG feature. I've done a factory reset but it still loads 4.3 Is there any way I can go back to 4.2.2 - which does support OTG on the Nexus 7
3 Answers
I don't think the Nexus 7 (2013) ever had Android 4.2. I was going to suggest flashing a factory image but the only one available is Android 4.3 which suggests it's not possible.
As the other answers have suggested you will probably need to root to get the USB OTG functionality you are after.
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1The Nexus-7 (2013) 'razor' was released with 4.3 (JSS15Q). There is no official 4.2 or earlier versions.– david6Commented Feb 26, 2014 at 8:47
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Wow, that factory image list can be handy also if someone wants to downgrade from Lollipop to KitKat! Thanks! Commented Feb 21, 2015 at 7:21
If you are reverting to 4.2 only for USB OTG feature, then I would suggest you not.
I am using a rooted Nexus 7 (2012) from v4.1 - v4.3 and could say from that experience that it has to be rooted for the OTG features to run. Since that's missing from your question I assume that you are not rooted when you had 4.3.
The apps Stickmount and USB OTG Helper needs root privilege to run successfully.
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You don't need to root Android devices to use some OTG functionality, such as the ability to plug in a mouse or keyboard.– user5506Commented Aug 12, 2013 at 12:43
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My apologies. I had a myopic view that USB OTG is about storage devices only. Commented Aug 12, 2013 at 12:58
You're going to have to revert by installing a custom recovery, and then flashing whichever ROM you require yourself. It's not difficult but needs to be handled very carefully (ie getting the correct rom, and following all the steps exactly) to avoid damaging your device. You may find it hard to claim repairs under warranty if you do this, depending on the laws where you live.
/data
and/cache
partitions, but it doesn't touch/system
. See also the factory-settings tag-wiki.